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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Occupational Hazards

I had to see our family physician recently as I’ve been experiencing some shoulder pain for the past months (possibly close to half a year now). It really was no surprise to me when he diagnosed me with Rotator Cuff Syndrome. I’ve been researching my symptoms for quite a while now but was just too busy and lazy to see my doctor. Suffice it to say, he suspects I tore maybe a couple of muscles and would probably need physical therapy. (And no, I don't and will not look like the person in the picture below, so no worries). He ordered that I go for an MRI and I’ll be doing that this coming weekend.

As I told my (lawyer) BFF about this, her almost instinctive response was that I should not take this lightly and that she has encountered a number of cases of workers getting such workplace-related injuries. This got me thinking. Since I'm not employed outside the home, where do I file a claim for worker's compensation benefits? This is, after all, a workplace-related injury, you know.

My left shoulder, arm and entire left side have always been weaker than my right side. I don't deny that. But this dull pain that's been going on, this discomfort that wakes me up at night that I can't even lie on my left side (which is my preference) is definitely a new development. I'm inclined to believe this injury started with me carrying my son mostly with my left arm/left shoulder when he was a baby and toddler. I also bet this got aggravated by my over-reaching every time we're in the car and I'm seated in the front passenger seat and suddenly the little one drops a toy, needs a wipe, wants a drink, and so on and so forth.

Perhaps I should also file a claim for possible future deafness or at the very least, ear damage from all those endured screaming episodes when not even the Dalai Lama would've been able to appease my son. And do you think I can also include in my claim my insomnia and general sleep deprivation since having a child means needing to develop the skill to 'sleep' with half your brain still wide awake and completely alert?

If indeed such claims can be proven and substantiated, do parents such as myself have any where to go to get compensated? Can we even just file for a leave of absence??? We all know the answer to these questions and though the answer sucks, at least entertaining the questions and teasing these thoughts provided me with momentary entertainment. Now let me leave you to your thoughts while I get my dose of valium for the day...

Raising kids sounds like hard work. Speaking of shoulders, I have problems with my R shoulder that started in nursing school (2 years ago). Been doing physical therapy for a long time but it is a nagging problem that never goes away. Hope your's is something that heals quickly.

I hope you will find some relief to this shoulder problem soon. My sister-in-law has twins and she is aching all over. Talk about insomnia - when they were babies, she would wake up at 1am and another at 3am and that is how her night would go. The girls are 2 now but it's still a lot of work.

I help her out when I can because I see how tired she is all the time!

I had a rotator cuff injury last year that left me with frozen shoulder. After much painful physical therapy I have most of my range of motion back. You are quite wise to take this seriously. As for worker's comp, do your worker's do anything. My "staff" needs to all my laid off for insubordination I think! (just kidding of course)

Oh no! :-( So sorry to hear you're having trouble with your shoulder. That stinks! I actually have fibromyalgia and deal with pain on a daily basis (I don't blog about it because I like to pretend it doesn't exist, and writing about it makes it that much more real... I know, crazy strategy... lol!). But at any rate, I have found chiropractic care to be incredibly helpful for me. I have had to go through several before I found a really good one, but just like with any doc, it takes time to find one that you really click with.

Chiropractors can be fantastic as doing slight adjustments that do wonders for pain relief. And as a bonus, my chiro works with a massage therapist, so I get a massage every time I'm done getting cracked and crunched (or, ahem, ADJUSTED).

I will keep you in my prayers for an answer to come along! Oh, and I also SWEAR BY the Sleep Number bed. It's AMAZING!!! You can change its firmness depending on how you're feeling on any given day. It's truly a revelation!

Anyway, I'm stopping by from voiceBoks... I'm a little late on my members to remember... you were on my list from yesterday... but I'm making headway! Smiles and blessings, Jenn @Misadventures in Motherhood

I am so sorry about your shoulder. Hope it gets all right soon. I don't have kids but my sister has two of them and she tells how sleep is such a deprived activity sometimes. so what she does is take turns. Yes, when she feels she has reached her "saturation point" of not sleeping, her husbands and kids have a day out while she plans to catch up on her sleep. Her sleep deprivation was actually giving her loads of problems so that had to be taken care of.

Thanks for stopping by Jenn! Oh no, fibro is an altogether condition as I have a friend who has that too. So sorry to hear that. But you're right....the less focus we give to something, the less powerful it becomes. However, I also would have to say that sometimes writing does help. Maybe it'll give you some perspective about it and be therapeutic too ;-)) Good luck and hope to read more from you too!

I so loved your thought process through this, Joy! =) There should definitely be a mommy compensation board. You know, I always that it was just my mom who slept half awake all the time, but it definitely sounds like a mommy-related skill! =P

I really hope you feel better soon and that the physical therapy will help!!

Great post Joy. I love your quirky iew of the situation. If we were all to look for compensation for these types of injury we would be millionaires:-)) You left out the damage to our mental health. Be careful of that shoulder. Last year I had rotator cuff tendonitis in both shoulders, with one "frozen shoulder" at the same time. Three cortisone shots and a years physiotherapy later they are finally improving. I can lift both hands over my head now. And I can finally do the front crawl when swimming, instead of the breast stroke, back stroke still to be conquered.

Here I go checking "relatable" again. My left shoulder has been doing the exact same thing for months...no one to blame because I don't remember doing anything to it...and I refuse to have it seen about until I can't stand the pain anymore...which will be a while since I have a high tolerance for it...after all, I'm the girl who went 6 weeks before having a choleycystectomy (gall bladder out) thinking it was just food poisoning making me hurt and feel nauseous.

so maybe I have tendonitis? My loving doctor has been offering to "shoot me up" (his words) and I have been telling him every 4 or 5 months, "over my dead body". Death is looking more appealing every day. Oy, the pain. :D~cath xo

It was 7 years after the birth of my youngest before I told her "DO NOT get me up in the middle of the night to walk you to the bathroom, you know where it is and the light is always on". Then I became a nurse about ten years after that and worked night shift for about the next 7 or 8 years. :D~cath

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Joy Page Manuel

I'm a FORMER academic & researcher; CURRENTLY a blogging mom; ASPIRING astrophysicist, gazillionaire philanthropist, and goddess; and undoubtedly a PERPETUAL writer, dreamer, hopeless romantic and overanalyzer. Welcome to Catharsis! You can click here if you want to learn more about me and this site. I'm looking forward to connecting with you and exploring our angst together!